Our website uses cookies to improve your user experience. If you continue browsing, we assume that you consent to our use of cookies. More information can be found in our Cookies Policy and Privacy
Policy.

Twitter builds intent into ad targeting

Twitter has made what social media experts have dubbed a “game changing” update to its ad targeting, allowing marketers to serve users promoted tweets based on their intent as it looks to more ways to maximise revenue from its free-to-use service.

Marketers can now target users by keyword – in addition to the already available geolocation, mobile device and interest filters – based on users’ recent tweets.

The move means a soft drinks company could target all the users who had recently tweeted “I’m thirsty”, for example. They can also build in the other pre-existing targeting tools to their campaigns to potentially reach users who follow similar brands in the right context, location and on a specific mobile device.

Brands including EE, Microsoft Japan and Walgreens have already trialled the product. Camera brand GoPro saw close to 2 million impressions and engagement rates reaching 11 per cent on tweets promoted with the new feature – higher than Twitter’s already market-leading average engagement rate of 1 to 3 per cent.

Speaking to Marketing Week, Twitter’s senior director of product for revenue Kevin Weil said: “We think this will be a big step for us and we are super excited to launch keyword targeting in timelines. More relevant, actionable promoted tweets are better for users and ultimately brands.”

He would not confirm how far back into users’ timelines the keyword targeting technology would scrape, only saying it is looking at this “continually” and taking on board feedback from users and advertisers.

As with all promoted tweets to date, users can dismiss the ads they do not find relevant.

Lee Griffin, commercial director of TBG Digital – part of Twitter’s Ads API programme and one of the agencies that trialled the targeting product early – told Marketing Week the update will attract more money from brands because their campaigns will become more effective.

He adds: “This is massively game changing for Twitter. It increases the opportunity to advertisers to get in front of more people with really interesting content and introduces a new part of the funnel by getting people in their intent phase before they go to Google or Facebook.”

Twitter is expected to generate $582.8 million in global ad revenue in 2013 and $1bn in 2014, according to eMarketer estimates, up from $288m last year.